Kao (bull)

Bull in Meitei folklore Kao (Meitei pronunciation: /káo/) is a legendary divine bull captured by Khuman Khamba in Meitei mythology and folklore of ancient Moirang realm. It appears in the legend of Kao Phaba (Old Manipuri: Kau Phaapa), also known as Khambana Kao Phaba (Old Manipuri: Khampana Kao Phaapa) of the Khamba Thoibi epic. Mythology Kongyamba, a rich nobleman of the Angom clan, met a group of women from the Khuman kingdom in a place called Moirang, and asked them why they were fishing there. They told him that a dangerous bull had killed many people near the water, so they could not fish. Kongyamba then tricked his servant Khamba into catching the bull, by pretending, before the king, that he was possessed by a divine spirit, and claimed that the god Thangjing spoke through him. Saying he was "sated with offerings of flesh and fish", he demanded to be given the flesh of the bull that was terrorizing the people of Khuman. He added that "my servant Khamba vows that he will bring it for my honor and for the welfare of the State." When the king asked Khamba about his promise, he denied it, but in the end was forced to acquiesce and to try and catch the bull if it was the God's